To help combat bullying in the community, Northwoods Elementary’s InsideOut program is teaming up with Christian-based empowerment initiative Know You Be You Do You to sponsor a weekend rally.

The event, to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Northwoods Elementary School, is intended to raise awareness of bullying in schools and to provide strategies to fight and prevent harmful behavior. The rally also will act as a forum for local mentoring agencies, giving them an opportunity to provide input and resources to participants.

“The purpose is to educate parents and children about bullying and let them know what they can do if they encounter that kind of behavior,” explained event organizer Gail Gatewood. “Children will learn to be brave, ask a person to stop and contact an adult. We want to give them the courage to use these tools to step up for themselves. It’s also important to let bystanders know they have a responsibility, too.”

Admission to the rally is free, and all local students and parents are encouraged to attend. A free lunch will be served, and the Crime Stoppers vehicle will be on hand. The first 200 students to show up will receive free backpacks containing wristbands and information on bullying solutions.

Presentations will be given by select speakers and educators, including representatives from the Jacksonville Police Department. A roundtable question/answer discussion will also be held with former bullies and bullying “survivors.” Specific concerns will be addressed throughout the event, including the differences in male and female bullying, empowerment and self-esteem.

Southwest Middle School is set to host an anti-bullying event the day before Northwoods. Their Bullying Awareness Assembly is open to the entire community, and will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Friday at the Middle School gymnasium. The assembly is organized by various student leadership groups from the school. The event includes presentations, testimonials, performances and student-created songs and music videos that carry an overall message that bullying is not an acceptable behavior.

For more information on the Northwoods program, contact Deborah Hoffman or Gail Gatewood at 910-381-2324; for Southwest’s program, contact Suzie Ulbrich at suzie.ulbrich@onslow.k12.nc.us or 910-455-2211.

Matthew Adkins is a general assignment reporter for the Daily News. Contact him at matthew.adkins@jdnews.com or 910-219-8467.